5 Things You Didn’t See On TV At the 2024 MTV VMAs

If any two artists in UBS Arena knew a thing or two about country-pop crossover success, their names were Taylor Swift and Shaboozey.

Both were nominated for multiple awards at this year’s ceremony, and they even competed in one category. Ultimately, Swift’s Post Malone-assisted “Fortnight” beat out Shaboozey’s Billboard Hot 100-topping “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for the song of the summer Moonperson.

As the two stars caught up during a commercial break, Swift whispered something into Boozey’s ear while cameramen hurried to capture the moment. We don’t know what exactly the two were talking about yet, but here’s to hoping some sort of collaboration is in the works!

Sure, Katy Perry found some time to promote her new record, but her Video Vanguard medley wasn’t short on hits at all. From “Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls” to “E.T.” and “Dark Horse,” the night’s biggest honoree zoomed through several of her Hot 100 chart-toppers, but there was one particular song that elicited a remarkable response from the audience.

When Katy got to the “boom boom boom” lyric in the “Firework” outro, nearly every person in the audience raised their hand and pounded their first to the rhythm of each repetition, a move that almost felt innate. It was as if it was simply an involuntary reaction to hearing the lyrics because the song has been cemented as a classic for multiple generations. Regardless of how audience members felt about the medley, or even Katy herself, nothing could supersede the boundless euphoria in the room when “Firework” got its time to shine.

Benson Boone delivered one of the night’s most dazzling performances with his backflip-laden rendition of “Beautiful Things,” (No. 2) which became his first song to reach the Hot 100’s top five earlier this year. Before Boone was leaping onto pianos and flaunting his bejeweled royal blue onesie, two fellow male pop stars gave him ardent displays of support the minute Damiano of Måneskin announced him as the next performer.

Lil Nas X and Teddy Swims, who ultimately lost best alternative to Boone, jumped to their feet in anticipatory ovation — which eventually paved the way for the entire audience to follow suit by the time Boone uttered the song’s closing lyrics.

This year’s culture-shifting war between Kendrick Lamar and Drake, and its ancillary feuds, undoubtedly dominated this year in music, so hearing one of the tracks from those battles was expected. What was a bit less predictable, however, was the choice of song that got some love from the house DJ: Metro Boomin‘s hilarious “BBL Drizzy” beat.

Although both Lamar and Drake — song of the year and song of the summer (“Not Like Us”) for the former and best collaboration and best hip-hop (“Rich Baby Daddy”) for the latter — both nominees at this year’s ceremony, neither artist got their music played in the arena during the commercial breaks. Instead, the DJ dropped “BBL Drizzy,” which (much more) predictable drew laughs, head bobs, and sing-a-longs throughout the crowd — yet another reminder of the communal joy of a good old-fashioned clowning session.

Of course, in light of Lamar being announced as the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show headliner and him dropping a new track via Instagram just hours before the VMAs commenced, “BBL Drizzy” is an even funnier song selection.